Section 124/1 — Recording a child victim complaint
Statutory text (Thai original)
ให้นำบทบัญญัติในมาตรา ๑๓๓ ทวิ วรรคหนึ่ง วรรคสอง
และวรรคสามมาใช้บังคับโดยอนุโลมแก่การจดบันทึกคำร้องทุกข์ในคดีที่ผู้เสียหายเป็นเด็กอายุไม่เกินสิบแปดปี
เว้นแต่มีเหตุจำเป็น
ไม่อาจหาหรือรอนักจิตวิทยาหรือนักสังคมสงเคราะห์ บุคคลที่เด็กร้องขอและพนักงานอัยการได้และเด็กไม่ประสงค์จะให้มีหรือรอบุคคลดังกล่าวต่อไป
ทั้งนี้ ให้ผู้รับคำร้องทุกข์ ตามมาตรา ๑๒๓ หรือมาตรา ๑๒๔ แล้วแต่กรณี
บันทึกเหตุดังกล่าวไว้ในบันทึกคำร้องทุกข์ด้วย
English translation
The provisions of Section 133 bis, paragraphs one, two and three, shall apply mutatis mutandis to the recording of a complaint in a case where the injured person is a child not over eighteen years of age, except where there is a necessity such that a psychologist or social worker, the person the child requests, and the public prosecutor cannot be found or awaited, and the child does not wish to have or to wait for such persons any longer. In that case, the person receiving the complaint under Section 123 or Section 124, as the case may be, shall record that reason in the record of the complaint.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
This General Principles provision extends the child-protection safeguards of Section 133 bis (normally used for questioning child witnesses and victims) to the earlier step of recording a child's complaint. It reflects the Code's protective policy toward victims not over eighteen, requiring the supportive presence of a psychologist or social worker, a trusted person, and the prosecutor. The exception is narrow: only genuine necessity, coupled with the child's own wish not to wait, allows the officer to proceed without them, and even then the reason must be documented. It operates together with Sections 123 and 124 on how complaints are received.
Why this matters in practice
If a child under eighteen is the victim reporting a crime, do not let the complaint be taken like an ordinary adult statement. The law entitles the child to the presence of a psychologist or social worker, a trusted person, and the prosecutor while the complaint is recorded, and skipping them is only lawful in genuine necessity that must be written into the record. Parents and guardians should insist on these safeguards, since a defective record can be challenged later. For sensitive child cases, a family law consultation can help you protect the child's position.
Frequently asked questions
What special rules apply when a child lodges a complaint?
Under Section 124/1, the safeguards of Section 133 bis apply, so a psychologist or social worker, a person the child requests, and the prosecutor should be present when a child victim's complaint is recorded.
What age counts as a child under this section?
Section 124/1 applies where the injured person lodging the complaint is a child not over eighteen years of age.
Can the officer take the complaint without those support persons?
Only in genuine necessity where they cannot be found or awaited and the child does not wish to wait, and even then the officer must record that reason in the complaint.